The safest place in 2012 was North Berwick in East Lothian, where only five of more than 8,000 licence holders were banned last year.

Among postal districts with more than 1,000 resident licence holders, Lybster in Caithness and Achnasheen in Ross-shire were top of the disqualification table.

However, after Highland Council accused this newspaper of making "sweeping generalisations", our league of shame includes only postal districts with more than 5,000 drivers.

According to figures obtained from the DVLA under Freedom of Information, 8,715 of 4.3million Scots motorists were banned in 2012 - or one in every 496.

Most were in Glasgow, with 1,711 disqualifications from 838,000 drivers (1 in 490), followed by Aberdeen, with 525 disqualifications from 200,000 drivers (1 in 380) and Edinburgh, with 494 disqualifications from 344,000 drivers (1 in 696).

Neil Greig, Director of Policy and Research with the Institute of Advanced Motorists, said some rural drivers might be more inclined to break the speed limit on quiet country roads.

He said: "There are obviously some areas of Scotland where drivers are more prone to break the law.

"Most fatalities still take place on rural roads and if the standard of driving is low then it doesn't help to reduce these figures; it is very worrying.

"Perhaps in some very remote areas there is more opportunity to drive at very high speeds. Certainly, the North-east does have a reputation for poor driving, linked to the oil and fishing industries and the purchase of fast cars."

In Alness, Easter Ross, 25 of the village's 5,202 drivers were disqualified in 2012.

One recent visitor from London, Helen Reddington, wrote on her internet blog last month about watching the "Alness boy racers whose circuit includes the High Street.

"Roaring and revving, they emerge in their immaculate shiny black or white cars from a side road, watching nervously left to right for the rozzers, then jet down the road at high speed, twin exhausts yarping like bass-bin seagulls.

"Heaven protect any unwary pedestrians who might stray into their path!"

Two years ago, Northern Constabulary launched a crackdown which involved confiscating offenders' cars. Sergeant Keith MacKenzie said: "It's a big problem and people have even moved out of their homes as a result."

Most fatalities still take place on rural roads and if the standard of driving is low then it doesn't help to reduce these figures; it is very worrying

Neil Greig

However, when we approached Highland Council for a comment about driving standards, the chairman of the transport committee dismissed the DVLA figures.

Councillor Graham Phillips said: "It is neither wise nor helpful to make sweeping generalisations about road safety in the Highlands in such small communities."

TABLES:

Bottom 10 post towns with more than 5,000 licence holdersAlness - 1 driver in every 208 was disqualified last yearFraserburgh - 1 driver in every 258Peterhead - 1 driver in every 260Larkhall - 1 driver in every 270Shotts - 1 driver in every 277Brechin - 1 driver in every 295Arbroath - 1 driver in every 325Tillicoultry - 1 driver in every 328Port Glasgow - 1 driver 329Annan - 1 driver in every 332

Top 10 post towns with more than 5,000 licence holdersNorth Berwick - 1 driver in every 1,635 was disqualified last yearLongniddry/Prestonpans - 1 driver in every 1,465South Queensferry - 1 driver in every 1,374Selkirk - 1 driver in every 1,330Prestwick - 1 driver in every 1,203Balerno/Currie/Juniper Green - 1 in every 985Linlithgow - 1 in every 963Strathaven - 1 in every 945Troon - 1 in every 901Crieff - 1 in every 878